Why Helen Zille and DA won’t score big in 2009 elections

An article on Wonkie late last year suggested an alliance between ANC breakaway faction Shitoka… oops, Shikota and Helen Zille of the DA as a good way forward in terms of political strategy if either of these 2 parties want to dislodge the ANC from the driving seat. The response on the DA-Shikota (Cope) alliance post was heated and left many debating whether Lekota and Shilowa could even manage to pick a name for their party successfully, let alone string together an alliance with anybody.

While the ANC being the ruling party certainly gets the lion’s share of coverage on Wonkie, it is only fair to have a look at what the other contenders are offering South Africa. Helen Zille is certainly trying hard to position herself as the Obama of South Africa… the change we all need. Seriously though, Wonkie thinks the probability of getting an elected non-black president in South Africa in the next century is about as high as the probability of Zapiro making pro-Zuma cartoons or Manto discovering AIDS is actually a disease.

So, lets assume the DA are smart enough to acknowledge they need a black front-person to stand any chance with the majority of the South African population. Even then, their policies do not adequately address some major issues for the South African man in the street. Two important issues that fall in this category are effective land reform and employment equity programmes. Don’t get us wrong – both of these have been rather inadequately handled by the ANC during their tenure but the ANC do have some semblance of a plan in these areas. It’s quite unclear to Wonkie how the DA intends to address these in a satisfactory manner so as to fix the mess created by apartheid years. If these issues are a priority for Zille and the DA, it’s certainly not coming across as though they are.

Comments

I suggest you look at the DA’s website, http://www.da.org.za, and download their extensive policies on every issue facing South Africa today – including land reform and employment equity. These are the most detailed, well costed and sustainable policies presented by any political party. If you take the time to get informed you will see your claims that the DA have no plan blown out of the water.

Aimee – I don’t think the issue is as much with the policies as it is with majority of South Africa’s perception of the priority DA gives these issues – I think that’s the point here!!

Until DA positions itself politically as being representative of the majority they will stand no chance.. right now most of us blacks just see DA as a party for whites (yes I can see you jumping up and down saying it isn’t but again – it’s this perception you need to change with the masses). DA may have the best way forward for SA but it’s all a useless waste of paper unless Zille is willing to do what it takes to get DA elected and so ensuring those policies can be implemented.

@Aimee – the question is not one of content of the policies but one of perceived priority the DA gives these issues.

Put yourself in the shoes of a poor black person in South Africa and tell me if you’d vote for the DA because they give you hope for the future – if you answer is yes, you must have stumbled into some magic shoes laced with LSD. For this majority, there is no credible alternative to the ANC.

Hey …Obama did it! The trick is to be harvard educated ..over 6ft tall..very hot..thinking man’s crumpet..and be a walking optical illusion!..To the whites he looks like a whiteman..to the blacks he looks like a blackman!!!

Simpiwe K – well said ..but we both know it is easier said than done..maybe DA needs a spin doctor..that’s sounds like a job for you!

People dont know about the DA’s policies because instead of advocating their policies and telling people how they will adress poverty, landlesness, inequality, illiteracy etc; the madam rather prefer to go on an anti ANC offensive (negative campaigning) of how many charges are hanging over Zuma’s head and so on.
Poor people are not stupid. They know and understand that Zuma is: ‘innocent until proven guilty’, so no matter how many times she’s doing this negative campaigning, she will be waisting valuable time to sell the DA’s policies to the SA voters.
The madam is also very unpatriotic and is scaring off potential investors at a time when SA is in dire need of direct foreign investment.
Her reckless recent statements of SA being ruled by a closed croney system is a serious attack on the independent constitutional bodies in the country such as the public protector, the human rights commission etc. Publishing a damning report in a german newspaper about SA being on the verge of a civil war is also very reckless and scares off possible investors. The madam should rather tell SA voters what she can offer the black majority that the ANC has failed to do.
But still the black majority wont vote for the white madam. Gwede Mantashe once said, every political party is a government in waiting, its just that some have to wait for sixty years before they become one! Seems as if the DA will have their sixty year waiting period!!

The reactionary politics practised by the Democratic Alliance is the single most important factor that will cause the demise of the party. Its one thing to be constructive but its another thing to be just blatantly Anti ANC. They talk about an open opportunity society as if apartheid with all its baggage and inequalities never happened.
Its only fifteen years ago that the monster of apartheid were still causing havoc amongst our black counterparts, and it is still as recent as yesterday that i was forced to carry a pass where ever i was going. How do you address this serious inequalities and past injustices in an open opportunity society? This is what the black majority want to hear. This is what the MADAM must tell the SA voters.
Talking about ZUMA, ANC, ZUMA, ANC will not help!
The ANC was bold enough to come up with policies such as Affirmative Action in order to BEGIN addressing the structural inequalities in SA.
Xolani, you are so right when you say it seems as if the madam will have to wait for SIXTY YEARS before she will be able to taste the union buildings.

While many people would be worried about too much emphasis being placed on our past, it is important that we recognise that we have one. A painfull one for that matter. A past that ALL of us never ever want to return to. To hastily discard the devastation and hardships that are directly attributable to Apartheid would be a shame on all of us including the DA. The creation therefore of an open society based on disconcern for past injustices is a definate death knell on all aspirations of the DA to perform well in the forthcoming elections. The African majority will never support any party that prides itself in policies that are not aimed at drastically improving lives at grassroots. While the DA is interestingly silent on Affirmative Action and Land Reform, they WILL continue to perform dismally in elections in South Africa

to me everything both parties are trying to do is not particularly adjacent to the anc, but try to bring down the anc. Yes zuma is a preisidential candidate but his of power is affecting most of us as SA. he uses his power to his benefit, and yes the congress of the confused is just doing the opposite of the anc and the dumbest alliance just depends on cope to increase their chances of being gorvernment runners. for everything i have no word to convey……